This invention generally relates to method and apparatus for maintaining full fuel in a fuel supply line, and more specifically to a supply line of a diesel burning system.
Non-ignition type engines such as diesel engines have been around for years. Unlike gas combustion engines which operate by vaporizing a fuel chamber with fuel and igniting the fuel with sparks, commonly from a spark plug, diesel engines operate under high pressure and without any sparks. At a certain range of pressure and temperature, diesel fuel self ignites in an exothermic reaction to give off the necessary energy or power to propel the engine.
However, diesel engines have several shortcomings. Among them, when a diesel supply reservoir runs low on fuel, the fuel supply line typically becomes less xe2x80x9cfullxe2x80x9d and at some point even dries up and xe2x80x9cgasesxe2x80x9d up (rather than staying filled with xe2x80x9cliquidxe2x80x9d diesel fuel), leading ultimately to a loss of power from fuel starvation. When the reservoir is refueled, engine startup is not necessarily guaranteed. Trapped air in the fuel line can prevent fuel from properly filling and flowing, a symptom commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cvapor lockxe2x80x9d. More often than not, the vapor must be purged from the line before the fuel line can properly be filled, a task is typically costly (if the user has to take the vehicle in for repair), inconvenient, and time consuming.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to supply an apparatus (which, as used herein, includes any system or any physical embodiment of the present invention) and related method capable of maintaining a full fuel line despite having the fuel reservoir running low or even empty. The preferred embodiment of the invention includes fuel sensors, a shut-off valve, and a check valve for isolating the fuel line from the engine and the reservoir until the reservoir can be refueled.
It is a further object of the invention to supply a fuel line of the aforementioned character in which the fuel line is capable of immediate fuel flow without first purging the line of entrapped gas.
Another object of the present invention is to supply a fuel line that is unaffected by the engine status or the reservoir level.